It’s 4 A.M., a brick just broke my window and I am out of town. Do I feel comfortable having my spouse at the store alone? This is a question many people ask themselves before buying a store. So you drive around. You talk with people on the street and local business owners.

Problem is, you’re getting conflicting information and you don’t fancy yourself Sherlock Holmes. In today’s digital age, getting the right answer is simple, go to crimemapping.com.

Crimemapping.com
Using police crime data, crimemapping.com gathers all the raw statistics and they run it through the proverbial ringer. The result is an easy to view and simple to navigate website. Type in your address and that’s it. You get an accurate account of what’s happening in your area without an advanced degree in criminology. You can search by crime type, address and dates.

The site’s charting feature even lets you find out exactly how many of each crime type occurred in a given place and time. This comes in handy when comparing one location to another. While “what’s trending” is all the rage on Twitter. Using the trending feature on crimemapping.com, you can find out what days of the week most robberies occur so you can plan your collections accordingly.

Local Police Departments
Now you’ve done your homework and you want to go forward with the location. Another great resource is your local police department. Most departments have a community outreach officer. The officer comes to your store, for free, and gives you tips on how to stay safe. You get the golden oldies like security cameras, nothing obstructing the view through the windows, alarm the building and leave the cash draw empty at night. 

You will also get some ideas you might not have thought about. During a store review, the officer asked me, “Have you considered partitioning your alarm?” Partitioning turns one alarm into two, with no additional cost. Let’s say your store is attended. During business hours you want customers in the store, but you still want your office and coin boxes alarmed, no problem. You have two separate keypads, with different codes.

Learn From Other Store Owners
Over the years, storeowners have shared some other great ideas when it comes to setting up alarm systems.

1. During the installation of your alarm, label each zone. Put the zone labels as a note on your phone, maybe under contacts. So when you get the 3:43 A.M. call and they say zone 4 has been set off, you know the difference between someone breaking down your front door and the A/C blowing one of your hanging signs, causing the motion sensor to go off. This is more important than you might think. A history of false alarms can cause a delayed response from officers. You don’t want your store to be the boy who cried wolf. 
2. An easy way to avoid crying wolf, have the alarm company call you first before sending officers. If they can’t reach you, they will still send an officer.
3. Next try placing an alarm sensor inside of your changer. It not only prevents theft, but more importantly when you try to set the office alarm it is a great reminder you left the changer door open. Don’t laugh; many of you have left your changers open, just like me. So you’re comfortable with your location and you're alarmed properly.